Summary

Marvel Studios still plans to include Kang the Conqueror in upcoming Avengers movies, but paired with another villain.
Rumors of Jonathan Majors being replaced may mean a new actor will take on the role of Kang entirely.
Potential replacements include John David Washington and Colman Domingo, with Majors’ personal issues impacting the casting decision.

Rumors are beginning to circulate regarding how Marvel Studios plans on moving forward with Kang the Conqueror following the firing of Jonathan Majors, and after it was confirmed that the title of the next Marvel mashup was changing to Avengers 5 and dropping the subtitled The Kang Dynasty.

Per insider Daniel Richtman, via CBR, Marvel Studios is reportedly still keeping Kang the Conqueror on deck as a big part of the story moving forward, but there is a catch. The report goes on to say that Kang will be paired with another villain in the upcoming Avengers movies and won’t be the sole big bad. Marvel’s plans were seemingly up in the air after Jonathan Majors, who had been portraying Kang, was charged with and found guilty of the assault and harassment of his ex-girlfriend.

Should this be true, it would be a bit of a step back on previous reports that Marvel Studios was stepping away from Kang altogether because of the Majors’ situation. This seemed likely when it was announced that the title of the fifth Avengers film was changed from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty to simply Avengers 5. Fans speculated that another big villain, such as Doctor Doom, could be introduced in his place, but nothing has been officially confirmed. If these new rumors are true, that would also mean that a new actor would need to be cast in the role of Kang since Marvel parted ways with Majors entirely after he was found guilty of assault.

Avengers: The Kang Recast Challenge

As to who could play Kang moving forward, reports suggested that Marvel Studios was interested in John David Washington as a potential replacement, along with recent Academy Award nominee, Colman Domingo. Some have suggested that this role might be delicate to accept because of the nature of Majors’ firing, but as more time goes by, some of that awkwardness may fade and another actor could feel better about accepting the role.

Majors was certainly set up to be the next big villain of the MCU, and he was also one of the most promising up-and-coming actors before his personal issues took center stage. The actor portrayed Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quauntumania, while also appearing as other variants of the character in the Disney+ series Loki. In addition to the MCU, Majors played a major role in Creed 3 just weeks after the release of Quantumania, and he was earning Oscar buzz for his film Magazine Dreams, which received raves out of the Sundance Film Festival but has subsequently been pulled from the release schedule.

Related Kang The Conqueror Will Reportedly Return, But Don’t Expect Recast News Any Time Soon Jonathan Majors is out, but Kang the Conqueror is reportedly still in. Just don’t expect to find out who will play him for a long while.

And who knows, maybe even Josh Brolin’s Thanos will return in the MCU. Watch our video below to see his comments on the subject: